This invention relates to a computer system for storing expertise and processing know-how of consultation and gives advice on the basis of them. More particularly, the present invention relates to a computer system for consultation suitable for such a case wherein plans must be drawn up while diaglogues are exchanged between a computer system and a client asking an advice. Furthermore, the present invention relates to an information input system in a computer system for consultation or the like and more particularly to an information input system for displaying an input request which will be suitable for an information processing system wherein necessary input items are changed by inputted values.
A conventional computer system for consultation is described, for example, in "Personal Finance Adviser Using "SHELL" by Monzen, the material of The 3rd Artificial Knowledge Promotion Committee, Application System No. 2 Expert Committee (1986). This reference discloses a system wherein inputs are first made altogether, answers are then given and finally, any questions are selected by a client asking the consultation. While the answer is given, the client asking the consultation can only input a return key to proceed to the next answer and the system outputs the answer one-sidedly.
This system involves little ongoing interaction between it and the user client. The system operations such as the input, answer and question are fixed and the system does not take the reaction of the client asking the consultation into consideration. In other words, this system does not take into consideration those items which are believed essentially necessary in the consulting business such as the explanation of terms, detailed explanation in accordance with the knowledge of the client asking the consultation, switch of the topics, time adjustment and additional functions such as printing, preparation and comparison of alternative plans, registration for interrupting the consultation, necessary modification procedures to reflect client's desire, the input in the more natural language form useful for improving the interface with the client asking the consultation, the advertisement of the party offering the consultation system, collection of client's information, and so forth.
Particularly, an appropriate information input method must be considered in order to let the client asking the consultation use the system more easily, and the prior art technique includes the following method in this respect.
The input system of an information processing system such as the computer system for consultation comprises the repetition of the steps of outputting question symbols meaning the input request by the system, receiving the input and outputting the next input request after completion of the former. The input method of this kind is described, for example, in Patric Henry Winston et al. "LISP", pp. 245-249 Addison Wesley.
The conventional input method described above does not consider how to enable the user of the system to make an input on the trial-and-error basis or how to simplify the input operation. If the user realizes the previous error at a stage after several steps, he cannot try again the input but must make it once gain from the start, or the user has to make unnecessary information input.